Do formula fed babies sleep more?

[McShities]

4.5 month old EBF, still feeding over 14 times a day, 4 times at night. I'm shattered. Fed up. Only break I get is when I pump for DH to give bottle and I fucking hate pumping, considering I breastfeed for over 7 hours a day I can't stand using it in the rare times I'm not. Yes I know breast is best, and I've done it for months but can someone be real with me, as my HV is refusing to say anything that could be conceived as pro ff. Will it help? Read a tub of Aptamil which suggested between 5 or 6 feeds a day which sounds like heaven to me. I'm so bloody tired

I think it's a gamble, anecdotally it seems they are more likely to but then you get those worst of both worlds ones who insist on drinking small amounts every 2 hours throughout the night.

4 months is typical sleep regression age in any case which might be making your baby fussy irrespective of feeding method.

Not really, no. Plus factor in all the phaff of cleaning bottles, sterilising, safe prep.

Ride it out, you're doing great.

Don't think so. I know people who formula fed who have/had bad sleepers and also the reverse. I only BF for 12 weeks but my DD was a comparatively good sleeper from birth and her sleep didn't suddenly get better once we switched to formula, it just stayed the same, but it was already good anyway. Think it's genetic tbh, DH was (still is!) a good sleeper so think she takes after him.

DD was BF for 7 months, then FF thereafter. Luckily she was a good sleeper from the start. However, you sound like you need a break! Could you start introducing a bottle of formula before bed which your DH could do and go from there?

DS definitely slept longer with a bottle. Might just have been him! I always gave him a bottle at bedtime as it meant I got more sleep.

We tried a bottle of formula last thing at night for a few weeks to see if it helped - it didn't, and gave DS terrible tummy trouble. Then we tried a bottle of expressed milk, that didn't work either. Some babies are just massive pains in the arse! It'll pass. You can night wean at 6 months (unless your baby is underweight).

Mine didn't sleep any better. I had three babies formula fed from birth - one was a great sleeper, one truly barely closed her eyes and the last one was in between. They mightn't have slept better but I did. I had two nights a week of 5/6 hours unbroken sleep because my husband fed them
I didn't get up at all and that made all the difference especially with the second one.

I think they can do purely because formula takes longer to digest compared to breastmilk, so can stay fuller for longer. Washing and sterilising bottles is such a faff and the main thing that puts me off changing to FF.

But I think luck is the biggest part in it. DC1 was mixed fed and had a big bottle of formula before bed every night. Still fed 3 times a night at 7 months and barely slept past 2/3am most days.

DC2 is EBF and at 8 weeks now is sleeping 8-2, waking for a feed and then sleeping until 6.

Only 4 times a night, I'm so jealous.

My breast fed baby is up 6-20 times an night.

Or just up fullstop.

I need to get back into sleep training!

4.5 months old and waking 4 times a night is perfectly reasonable and to be expected. There's no point comparing to other babies or the way they are fed.

Can you visit a breastfeeding support group for some advice? They can check her latch.

In general yes, as they the to feel fuller for longer. My own ff daughter slept through the night from eleven weeks, and prior to that only ever had one feed during the night.

Of course there will be outliers, ff babies who don't, and bf who do, but research shows ff babies sleep better.

Sending sympathy though as it's exhausting feeding so much, I'm not surprised you're looking for any way to make it easier.

14 times a day is more than every 2 hours, no wonder you're completely fed up. Is baby hungry each feed or are a lot for comfort? Just asking as I fed DC1 pretty much constantly day and night as he just cried non stop and it was the only way to calm him. Turned out he had reflux and once that was sorted feeds started to spread out a bit.

I had to give up breast feeding- dc was losing weight and breastfeeding clinic was not an option as could not discuss in room full of men, so gave up v reluctantly. DC slept through the night the first night, having previously never slept at might for more than 20mins at a time.

You poor thing, it's torture isn't it.

Yes in general FF babies sleep much longer as they can knock back a big bottle much faster than they could drink that amount from the breast, and then fall into a post prandial nap pretty easily.

Plus of course you can get DH or visiting grandparents to take over some of the night feeds and get some sleep.

Maybe try and get to the magic 6 month mark and then reassess?

Some do, some don’t.
I breastfed all mine to varying degrees... DC1 was 6 months, DC2 was 7 months, DC3 was 4 months. Purely anecdotal but all mine starting waking less when I stopped breastfeeding (although that wasn’t actually why I stopped). However I know BF babies who slept through the night from 6 weeks and formula fed babies who still woke in the night for milk at 18 months. So I wouldn’t base any decisions on feeding solely on that.

Yes but it’s not good for babies to be over full from formula
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of SIDS

For us it infinitely improved when food was introduced. I cracked early and let him get stuck in about 5.5 months. He loved food, went straight to feeding himself the same meals as us (I was lazy so didn’t mash/purée) I took the leap after he launched at my plate and stole chips at the pub and crammed them down him so fast I couldn’t get them off him in time.
Prior to this it was very much the same as you. Broken, disturbed nights and feeding.
Another 6-8 weeks seems like a long time, but I just wanted to share that for us, it for so much better with food if you decided to ride it out until then

Mine slept better FF and woke up far less then when BF but each babies different. It's heavier on the stomach so fills them up for longer

Yes mine slept very well when FF. We are not supposed to say that, but it is true. I went from a baby that was awake most the night, to a contented sleeper. FF saved my sanity. I just could not cope with so little sleep, was dangerously overtired.

In my circle of friends- formula fed babies slept far better than breastfed

No they don't. I know others up thread have said they do but all the research and sleep studies says no, there is no statistically significant difference in night waking for bf or af babies. Sorry.

It is strange that the studies all seem to show FF does not help children sleep, but in reality every single on of the FF babies slept well, and BF babies needed to feed much of the night. I have had several baby circles over the years with my dc, and it was the same in every case. FF babies stay fuller for longer, and therefore can sleep for long periods.

I wouldn't do it at this age, no. Anecdotally I can say it hasn't seemed to work for friends who swapped, it didn't seem to make a massive difference. Mine were bf and one slept far more - it does seem more to do with just the baby.

Swapping now - if it makes little difference, you'll just have the extra faff (and expense!) of bottle making etc, plus you'll lose the utility of bf. I appreciated that lots more after 6 months tbh - instant ability to soothe, hydration when they're ill and won't eat etc. Weigh it up. Not to try and push staying bf but I honestly think if you've come this far I'd ride it out until you introduce solids.

No. Some babies are sleepers and some aren’t - it’s luck of the draw, I’m afraid!

Introduce a night bottle at 10pm and see if it works is my best advice. I know it got us around to 3/4am, and that made a big difference. It also meant I could go to sleep earlier, and my dh could feed the baby - he loved that time holding her and feeding her, that was very bonding for them - and so it worked really well on lots of different levels for us, not least because I wasn't so worn out and bone tired.